Inside the Blue Earth, Ringo and Star watched in awe as Saber and Slade were enveloped within bright, glowing fields of energy. The energy fields spread out and took a shape that vaguely resembled a pair of birds. When they started attacking, causing the Spider-crabs to explode messily in their wake, Ringo decided that it was time to let Commander Jamison in on what was happening out here.

"Star, contact the Command Center," Ringo asked, concentrating on his flying just in case any Spider-crabs managed to make it past the twins. "I think it's time we let the Commander know what's going on out here." And I just hope we're not being jammed.

"Right," Star nodded. Turning to the radio located in the part of the console that controlled communications, Star contacted the Space Knight Command Center.

"Command Center, Tina here. What's happening, Star?"

"Tina, is the Commander with you?"

Star got her answer a few seconds later, when Commander Jamison's calm visage appeared on her screen.

"What's the situation, Star?" he asked, calm as always.

"Sir, those two boys that Ringo and I picked up when we were on that mission this morning?"

"Yes, I remember them," Commander Jamison said. "They caused quite a commotion."

"Well, Ringo and I managed to board the Blue Earth before they could manage to take off," Star said.

"Yes, I can see that," the Commander said calmly, though not without a hint of dry humor.

Star, just then remembering that her transmission had a visual component as well as an audio, was chagrinned enough that for a moment she forgot to say anything. That was when Ringo decided to cut in.

"I don't know what to make of these men, Commander. They're a complete mystery."

"And neither of them have made any moves against you?" the Commander asked.

"No, sir," Star reported. "Only against the enemy."

"Could they be putting on some sort of act?" Commander Jamison asked, preferring to err on the side of caution.

"Negative, sir," Ringo said. "Nobody could put on that good an act."

"We're monitoring the battle now."

"Boy, and is it ever exciting!" Tina said, clasping her hands together over her heart and grinning. "Those Teknomen are terrific! And oh, isn't it absolutely rad when they're beating the tar out of those Spider-crab monsters?"

"No need to go overboard, Tina," Commander Jamison said. "But I must admit, their battle prowess is very impressive. They could be our answer."

"Hmpf. Or our destruction," Ringo said.

"And what do you think of them, Star?" the Commander asked.

"Well, sir. So far I like them, but they're still so mysterious."

"The question is, sir, what do you want us to do about them?" Ringo asked.

"That's the problem," Commander Jamison said, sounding mildly put-out, though he didn't look it. "We need these men. I want to be able to question them. So whatever happens, I want you to bring them with you when you come back to Earth."

"Understood, sir," Ringo said.

"Right, sir," Star said, as she ended the transmission.

01001001

Out in space, Saber and Slade were still carving their way through the hordes of Spider-crabs that were trying to hold them back. It was beginning to seem a little boring, to Saber at least. Slade didn't seem to mind though. When they managed to land on the Space Ring, Saber looked out at all the fresh Spider-crabs that had come out to fight them and sighed. It just never ends.

"So you've still got some fight left, huh?" Slade demanded of the Spider-crabs. They charged.

"I'd say that's a yes!" Saber shouted.

Diving forward, both twins started blasting through the Spider-crabs that were now trying to surround them. Slade, seeing that the odds were not on their side, drew the separated halves of his teknolance and joined them together. Hurling his weapon like an oversized boomerang, Slade ran forward and caught it as it came down. There were now five less Spider-crabs there to attack them.

Saber pulled his hands apart, and a shaft of bright bluish-white light appeared between them as he recalled his own teknolance. Jumping off the Space Ring and igniting his rockets, Saber flew into the midst of a group of Spider-crabs. The slashes he was making with his teknolance and the way he was keeping himself out of the way of the Spider-crabs that were trying to attack him in return seemed almost instinctive to Saber.

It was strange, but Saber was glad that he wouldn't be having to learn about his abilities while he was fighting. It was one more thing that the Radam had done to him. It was useful, but there was no way in hell that it went even one tenth of the way to making up for what they had stolen from him. It wasn't even a consolation. All Saber was to them was a living weapon, these instincts just made that fact more clear.

Back on the Space Ring, Slade was having the same kind of experience. It was as if he knew just where and when to strike to be able to bring down the maximum number of Spider-crabs. As the twins slaughtered their way through the massed Spider-crabs that were trying to bring them down, neither of them had any idea that their performance was about to attract the attention of a man that they would both come to hate almost as much as Darkon himself.

10010110

Back on Earth, deep within the headquarters of the Allied Earth Military, the gathered soldiers were in a grim mood. None of the news that they had received from their surviving forces had been good, and not one of them was looking forward to receiving more of the same reports of losses to Spider-crabs. That was what made the footage they were watching on the main monitor so interesting.

It actually looked like the Spider-crabs were losing this time, and losing badly. There were a pair of human-sized figures of roughly the same configuration darting in and out of the formations of Spider-crabs with a grace that almost defied description, and most certainly defied belief. They both had weapons, and the Spider-crabs were being destroyed by the score in their wake.

"Patch me through to Earth Supreme Command immediately," ordered one of the higher-ranked officers who was watching the broadcast.

In another room, on a higher level of the base, the leaders of the Allied Earth Military were having a strategy meeting. It was the sixth one they had had this week, since all of them knew that they had to look like they were doing all that they could do to help save the people of Earth, no matter how hopeless the situation appeared to be. Right now they were on the receiving end of yet more bad news.

"Nothing can stand up to them, General," one of the other soldiers informed General Howard Bradly, the chairman of the military council. "I'm afraid that everyone on the Space Ring must be considered a casualty."

"Great Scott, Lieutenant. Are you telling me that the entire command has been wiped out?" Bradly asked, deeply alarmed. "That we have no defense at all against these creatures?"

"That is essentially correct, sir. No defense at all," Lieutenant Patrick Robertson said. "That being the case, my earnest recommendation to this committee is that we should warn the civilian population to take whatever measures they can for their own defense."

At that moment, another person came striding into the room where the military leaders were having their meeting.

"Excuse me Mr. Chairman, it's code Baker," he said.

"Code B?" Bradly asked, surprised. "Put it on the big screen."

"I've already taken the liberty, sir," he said, turning toward the main screen as the video began to play. "This is a recording of the battle that took place on the Space Ring one hour ago."

The footage would have come as a surprise to anyone who was used to dealing with Spider-crab attacks: the Spider-crabs were actually losing for once. And losing pretty badly. All to a pair of humanoid beings that were barely half their size. All of the military personnel were shocked, but one in particular was already looking for a way to use this new development to his advantage.

His name was Xercese Gault, and he was always looking out for ways to build up his own power and increase his standing in the world. These two new creatures that were being shown on the monitor, tearing through the ranks of Spider-crabs like they were nothing, held a great deal of promise as far as the General was concerned. Amazing, their powers are mind-boggling, and exactly what I've been looking for. As soon as the video clip had ended, General Gault stood up.

"Now, I want an immediate investigation!" he ordered.

"We'll get right on it, General," Lt. Robertson said.

110100101

Slash! Wham! Kaboom! These three words kept insistently repeating in Saber's mind as he made his way through the ranks of Spider-crabs that were trying to kill him. He didn't know just why he felt the urge to mentally add sound effects to the spectacle of Spider-crabs being chopped up into pieces by his and Slade's lances, but since it wasn't taking up too much of his attention to do so, Saber just let it happen.

It was kind of funny, he had to admit.

(Saber, the Blue Earth is in danger!)

(Huh?)

Turning to look back over his shoulder, Saber saw that the Blue Earth was indeed in a great deal of trouble: they had been knocked out of their original position by a group of Spider-crabs, and were now falling down towards the Space Ring.

(Crap.) Shaking his head, wondering just which cosmic deity he and Slade had pissed off, Saber turned back to the Spider-crabs that were still coming their way. (I'll deal with them, you take care of the Blue Earth.)

(I will. Good luck, Saber.)

(Thanks.)

Battering the ranks of Spider-crabs out of existence with his teknolance, Saber shot a look back over his shoulder. Slade seemed to have the situation with the Blue Earth well in hand, and oddly enough the Spider-crabs were all starting to pull back, so he broke off his attack and made for the safety of the Blue Earth. If he didn't get some food in him soon, he was going to de-transform and pass out, probably in that order.

And out here, doing that kind of thing would be fatal in the extreme.

10010011

When they had rejoined each other in the Blue Earth's airlock, Saber patted Slade's shoulder to let his brother know that he was still there. That they were still together. The doors opened once the pressure had been equalized, and Slade walked into the ship ahead of Saber, protecting his brother the way he had taken to doing.

He didn't really hear what Ringo said, but he saw the way the other man stepped in front of Star. It was as if he was trying to protect her, too.

His transformation couldn't hold with all of the energy he had used up, and he ended up standing in front of Ringo and Star completely nude. He felt Saber falling against him, and knew from the feel of his brother's skin that Saber was in the same condition as he was. As they struggled to stand, Slade tried to keep his brother from hitting his head on the unyielding metal of the deck.

"Why don't you tell me just exactly what the two of you are?" Ringo demanded.

"I'm not sure," Slade got out, even as his knees buckled under him and he fell to the deck. Saber would have probably made some kind of joke, or at the very least a sarcastic remark, but he could see that Saber was barely conscious at the moment.

"What's wrong with you two, anyway?" Ringo asked.

"Hungry; need some food," he said, cradling Saber's head and watching for any changes in his brother's condition.

"You're hungry?" Ringo echoed, looking more disbelieving than anything. Then he shrugged, and he and Star came over to help them up.

Star was obviously still a little flustered by the fact that he and Saber were both still naked, but since there was nothing he could really do about that he decided not to worry about it. Getting Saber back to full health was the more important thing, anyway.

Once they were both back on their feet, Slade felt someone else's arms around his waist, someone who he knew couldn't be Saber.

"Ringo? What are you doing?"

"I might not trust you, Slade, but you'd just be in the way if you and Saber collapsed here. Besides, I don't think Star's quite up to handling the two of you right now."

Turning to look back at the nicer or the two Space Knights he'd been dealing with, Slade saw that she had turned to look at a spot on the wall, almost directly opposite where he and Saber were standing. It seemed like she was more flustered than before, but maybe that was just because he was starting to realize just what kind of an acutely embarrassing situation he and his brother were in now.

"I guess you're right," he conceded.

"Good, now let's get you two dressed before Star faints from blood loss to vital areas."

"Ringo!" said female Space Knight admonished; without even turning around, Slade noticed.

Slade could feel the other man offering a one-shouldered shrug, but more importantly he could feel that Saber was starting to revive. His brother was moving a bit more enthusiastically, which Slade was grateful for.

(Saber, do you think you'll be able to walk soon?)

(I just might be able to move my legs, whether or not I can walk… well, I guess we'll find that out soon enough. Is it just my imagination, or is Ringo actually helping us?)

(I think he just wants us out of the way in case we fall over again.)

(Self-serving, mistrustful little bastard, isn't he?)

(You were the one who said we didn't make the best impression on them,) Slade reminded his brother.

(You heard that?)

(Wasn't I supposed to?)

(Not really, that was just a thought I had.)

(I guess I still have a few things to learn about this link of ours,) he said. (From now on, I'll make it a point not to actively listen in on anything you're not trying to tell me.)

(I think that might help.)

"All right, boys, end of the line," Ringo said, cutting into their conversation without really knowing he was doing so. "Pick out your uniforms and get out of my hair."

With those as his parting words, Ringo turned and left the twins standing in front of a small selection of folded Space Knight uniforms.

"You know, I could easily get to hate that guy," Saber said, as Slade started unfolding another of the stored uniforms.

"So could I," Slade muttered, as he heard the sounds of Saber starting to dress up. He decided that he might as well get to it himself; his stomach was going to rebel if he didn't get some food in it soon, and he could just tell that he wasn't going to get any if he went back into the Blue Earth's main area naked.

Saber probably knew that just as well as he did, and that was most likely part of the reason that he hadn't been quite as belligerent with Ringo as he otherwise might have been. The other part being his still-fairly-obvious tiredness of course.

Once they were dressed, and all the more hungry for the extra effort expended, Slade helped Saber – or Saber helped him; they were both tired enough that technicalities didn't matter much at the moment – walk back into the main room of the ship.

"Food. Now. Please," Saber demanded, and Slade could just hear his reluctance to add that last word.

"Here," Star said kindly, handing both brothers something that looked like a fairly oversized granola bar. "These ration bars might not be the best tasting, but they'll keep you going as good as anything out there."

"Thank you," Slade said, as he took the ration bars and handed one to Saber.

"Thanks a lot, Star."

He sat down at the table, with Saber following not long after; though his brother didn't sit down so much as fall into his seat while he was already peeling open the wrapper of his ration bar. Once he had his bar open, though Saber had the advantage of starting on the wrapper first, Slade tore into it with gusto. His transformation and the subsequent fight had taken a lot out of him, and he didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that Saber was doing the same.

"Well, you boys seem to have quite the appetite," Ringo said, smirking slightly.

"Our Teknomode is hyper-metabolic; we burn up a lot of calories when we use it," Slade said.

Saber, his mouth already full of the bite of ration bar he'd taken, simply made a muffled sound of agreement.

"Oh, I see. But you boys still can't remember how you got that way?" Ringo asked, his tone making what could have been an innocent question into an insinuation.

Slade didn't rise to the bait. "No."

And, with only a half-hearted glare to let the one man know that he'd heard what he said as well, Saber turned his attention back to his meal. Such as it was.

"Your memories will come back eventually, you'll see," Star said, smiling in a warm and optimistic way.

Saber, whose estimation of her had been steadily rising since they had first met, found himself adding another point in her favor. Slade, however, wasn't so easily moved. "Look, I don't care how long it takes. All that's important now is fighting the enemy!"

"I couldn't agree more," Ringo said, grinning in a way that put neither twin at ease. "All we have to do now, is figure out who the enemy is. C'mon Slade, tell me about yourself; I'm sure you know your brother well enough to give us some kind of information about where you both came from. Are you two even human? And that transformation, how do-"

if he hadn't needed all the nourishment that the ration bar he was eating could provide, Saber would have spat the half-chewed remains in Ringo's face. It was like the man had nothing better to do than antagonize them!

"Yes," Slade snapped, cutting him off. "We're human."

"Okay, so what kind of humans turn themselves into machines? Nobody I've ever seen. Do you boys even have parents, or were you turned out on an assembly line with a bunch of other machines?"

The crumpled-up wrapper from the ration bar he'd just finished didn't make the best projectile weapon, but it was the best that Saber could manage on such short notice. At least without taking off one of his boots. The bastard didn't know just what kind of thin ice he was treading on, but that didn't give him the excuse to be such an ass.

"I'm afraid that I can't give you the answers you're looking for; neither of us can. If either of us could remember, we'd tell you," Slade said; he'd gotten more controlled ever since… it had happened.

It was probably a good thing, but there were times that Saber couldn't help missing the way things had been. But it was really best that he didn't think about those times… they'd never come again, and he really wasn't one for self-inflicted torture.

"Oh please," Ringo sneered. "That bunch of malarkey's going to make my heart bleed all over the Space Ring. I'd better get a hankie before you say any more; I'm about to cry my eyes out."

"Shut your mouth, you jackass," Saber snarled, slamming his hands into the table as he rose from his seat to glare at the man antagonizing them. "We've put up with your crap ever since we met up, and I for one am sick of it. You know nothing about us; what we're doing or what we've been though-!"

"But that's just the point!" Ringo roared, leaning farther over the table. "I don't know anything about you! None of us do!"

"We don't have time for this," Slade said, standing; Saber looked like he was about to attack Ringo barehanded. "Saber, come with me."

Turning, knowing that his brother would follow him wherever he went, Slade launched himself toward the Blue Earth's airlock. It was time they found what they were looking for.

"Where do you two think you're going? I'm not letting you boys out of my sight!"

They ignored him, of course.

101010111

Once they'd made into the inner sections of the Space Ring, with Ringo and Star tagging along close behind, Saber watched as Slade turned back to look at them again.

"Just how long do you intend to follow us?"

"As far as you boys intend to go," he said, sounding irritatingly smug, as usual. "I have orders to bring you two back to Earth."

"Well, come on, then," Slade said, sounding about as annoyed as Saber felt. "Let's see what's behind this."

The door opened soundlessly, revealing darkness to anyone with Human-standard eyes. But then it had been a long time since Saber's eyes had been anything but those of a Teknoman; he could see the carnage beyond the doors. It didn't affect him much; after what he'd been through, a few more dead bodies weren't such an issue.

"Power's out in this section," Ringo said. "Give your helmet light some more juice."

Star's gasp of horror, even more than the sudden brightening, let him know that they had turned on their lights.

"This is even worse than I had imagined," Ringo muttered.

"Keep moving," Saber said calmly; he could hear them talking behind him, but he didn't pay

much attention.

"I can't believe it; the greatest scientific achievement ever conceived by the mind of man, reduced to an empty shell."

"Believe it," Slade said, in a tone that he had seen worse.

"Do you really think we're going to find any survivors here?" Ringo asked. "Either of you?"

"No. I'm afraid there won't be any," Slade said.

"I'd have to agree," he said, glancing around at the bodies floating in front of them.

"We're here to find something else; I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm sure I'll know it when I see it."

"Terrific. You wouldn't have any idea what this mysterious thing we're looking for is, would you Saber?"

"I have a vague idea."

"Oh. Well that's just great."

"I think we're getting warm," Slade announced, as they passed through another pair of doors.

Saber had to nod in response; whatever they were looking for, they were getting closer. He still didn't know quite what it was, but it was connected to the Radam. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

Slade landed in front of a old, broken-down panel which actually, thankfully, still worked. Saber landed a few paces behind him, watching his brother's back as he always did.

"Slade, what is it?" Ringo asked.

"It's what the Radam are so determined to keep us away from," Slade said.

Bright light spilled into the corridor in front of them as the doors Slade had activated opened slowly. Saber squinted at first; the sense of whatever the Radam were hiding sweeping over him, he could almost put a name to it…

"What are you talking about, Slade? This is the Ring's solar-power center."

But it wasn't; there were Radam pods anchored to every one of the walls. They hung in the near center of the room; most of them looked like strange, purple potatoes. The one in the center was different, though. That was the only one that he sensed any danger from; it was calm for now, only registering as a sort of vague tickle, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be so placid for much longer.

"…Uh-oh."

"What are those things?" Star demanded, horror struck.

"This is a spawning-chamber," Slade said, sounding almost as confused as Saber felt. "Something like a- like a…"

"Well?" Ringo prompted as Slade trailed off. "Something like what?"

"Like a hive…" Saber muttered, speaking more to himself than anyone else; this must have been some kind of residual information, left over from… that time. "…or a hospital," he said, again feeling that sense of foreboding as his eyes locked on the spherical pod in the center.

"I don't know," Slade said. "For a moment I thought…"

Another twinge from his senses; another feeling telling him that they should get the hell out of here while the getting was good.

(Whatever's in here, Slade, we need to leave. Now!)

(I think you might be right-)

"Get down!" As Slade knocked Star and Ringo to the floor, Saber dove down himself.

Before any of them could take another step, or even start to say another word, something fast and bright flew over their heads to impact on the far wall with a small explosion. It was one of Gunnar's energy-arrows; there was no way he wouldn't recognize that.

"What's that?" Ringo demanded, obviously annoyed.

"Gunnar," Slade muttered, just loud enough for even the humans to hear him.

"Welcome back," the evil Teknoman said, and Saber could just tell he was smiling wickedly under that metal mask of his.

"Gunnar?" Ringo demanded, as if he was far more concerned about something trivial like that than about the fact that there was a vicious, homicidal Teknoman not ten feet away from them. "It has a name? Just how well do you know this creature?"

"We have to get out of here, now! There isn't the time to get into any discussions."

"Sure there is, Saber," Ringo drawled; and he longed to smack the smirk right off the blond's smug little face. "Why don't you try me? I'm a very reasonable man."

I'd like to see some evidence of that, Saber thought.

"Maybe you are, but he's not!" Slade shouted, even as Saber took up a guard position. "Come on, follow me! Come on, you two, through here."

His instincts were screaming at him to move, but as long as Slade was in danger – and with Gunnar now fully out of the healing pod and heading for them, they were all in pretty grave danger – he was going to stand his ground. He couldn't do any less; Slade would have done the same thing for him… they were all they had left. The doors slammed shut, sealing them in with Gunnar; but Ringo and Star were safe.

He didn't care so much about Ringo, but Star was someone he thought he might have been able to form a friendship with. But it was too late for that now; one part of their past had caught up to them, it was time to deal with it.

"Save yourselves; get back to the ship and lift off," Slade said, in response to Star's pleading; he could understand it fairly well even through the muffling effect of the door, but it was almost drowned out by Gunnar's laughter. "Take off; it's your only chance. Get moving!"

Concentrating, Saber pulled his crystal out and held it; it was his lifeline at times like this. He might have hated the Radam for what they had done to him, the things they had taken, but there was really no disputing that the power could be useful at times. Times like this one.

"When I'm done with you two, I'll crush your puny comrades like worms."

"You haven't finished with us, yet," Slade growled.

The three of them exploded out of the windows; the doors sealed behind them automatically, which was a good thing or he would have worried about the others. Or at least about Star.

But now, they had more serious issues to deal with.

(Saber, you circle around and take him from behind. I'll handle things from the front.)

(All right. Just… keep your wits about you, Slade.)

(Yeah.)

01000101

Slamming into Gunnar again, watching as Saber kicked him in the side, Slade raised his lance to deflect a blow from Gunnar's bow. He'd already been cut once by that thing; he wasn't going to forget it.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted, trying to throw Gunnar off his game.

"Hardly!"

Splitting his lance, he deflected another thrust and then stabbed, mirroring the attack that Gunnar had made on him when they had clashed the first time. He didn't know if it would leave the same kind of damage on Gunnar as it had on him, but it felt good nonetheless.

"Catch you later, Gunnar," he taunted, as Gunnar screamed and fell.

(Nice work, but I think we should get back to the Blue Earth,) Saber said. (I think Ringo said he was having trouble with the engines.)

(I remember,) he smiled briefly. (Saber?)

(What?)

(Race you.)

He darted off, turning his head to catch sight of Saber just behind him.

(I didn't think you knew how to have fun like this anymore, Slade,) Saber said, laughter in his voice.

(I guess that shows what you know,) he shot back, laughing himself.

They were soon back with the Blue Earth, and she was clearly having some trouble.

(So, we just get behind and push?) Saber asked, sounding slightly dubious even as he followed Slade into position.

(Yeah; I think all the she needs is a little jump-start.)

(Then we're going to try and re-board the ship while it's still in motion? I guess it can't be too hard if Keanu Reeves could do it.)

My brother, the classic movie buff, he thought, rolling his eyes in fond exasperation. (Just keep pushing, Saber.)

As they kept shoving, putting all the strength they had into the task, Slade saw the rockets on the back of the ship – just between him and Saber – start firing for the first time. Sighing with relief, knowing that his brother would have seen it, too, Slade eased off. Then something twinged in his danger sense, the very same one that had warned him of Gunnar's approach the first time.

He saw the green Teknoman again; standing atop a raised structure on the Space Ring, just drawing back his bow.

"Tekno-bolt!" he bellowed, as the charging process started; it finished quickly and he fired, taking most of his strength but vaporizing Gunnar's arrow.

That was good.

01000100

Turning to watch Slade as he fired, knowing that his Tekno-bolt used up most of his energy, Saber swept him up quickly and made for the safety of the Blue Earth. The ship was heading back around for them; it was nice to know that Star was thinking about them. He'd have been willing to bet that she was the one who had wanted to help them.

Ringo was enough of a jerk to want to leave them behind, he knew.

010100111

Looking into the aft-monitor again, she could see Saber holding onto Slade's waist and waving to them as they came for him.

"Saber, we've got you. Do you think you can make it to the secondary air lock?"

"Yeah, I should be able to squeeze in," he said, and she wondered for a moment just how he could communicate over the radio; but it wasn't the time to think about things like that. "Thanks, Star; you know, for coming back for us."

"You're welcome," she said, wishing that he hadn't felt the need to say that. "Come on; get on board."

"We're on; go."

"I'm going to go check on them," she said, setting the navcomp to keep them on course.

Ringo might have said something else, but she didn't listen. Neither Slade nor Saber had come into the main hold of the ship; there had to be something wrong. Coming into the hold, the air lock sealed so she could get inside, she found both boys lying on the floor. She tried to ignore the fact that they were naked, she looked them over and tried to determine if they were all right.